Cereal food



Feb. 6, 1934. E, H, McKAY 1,945,947

CEREAL FOOD Filed Sept. 2, 1933 Patented Feb. 6, 1934 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CEREAL FOOD Application September 2, 193:. Serial No.687,923

13 Claims.

vide a method of treating cereal grains and/or parts thereof, andparticularly rice, so as to prepare the same for eating out of hand orotherwise without further treatment and, if desired, without theaddition of cream, sugar or other adjuncts or accessory foods.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new form ofready-to-eat cereal food product, and particularly a rice food product,which may be eaten out of hand, as in the case of potato chips, althoughit may be eaten, as in the ordinary manner of breakfast foods, eitherwith or without the addition of sugar, cream, and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ready-to-eat cerealfood product in fragmentary form consisting of a plurality of mutuallyadherent cereal grain units, such as rice kernels and/or parts orparticles thereof, in which the individual grain units are expanded orpuffed, and rendered very crisp and friable.

According to the process, cereal grain units, as whole kernels and/orbroken kernels of cereal grain, are cooked in moisture, formed into astrip, ribbon or shred in which the individual units adhere, the strip,etc., is severed or broken into fragments and the fragments or piecesare subjected to heat to cause the adhering individual units ineachsuchfragment or piece to puff up and become very crisp and friable.

More specifically considered, cooked and flavored grain units, andparticularly rice, in the 0 form of whole kernels and/or parts orparticles thereof, are formed into shreds, strips or ribbons, by passingthe cooked grain through forming mechanism, as, for example, suitablygrooved rolls, so as to cause the cooked units of grain to adhere to oneanother in composite masses of ribbonor strip-like form, after which theribbon, etc., is severed or broken into pieces or fragments of thedesired lengths or dimensions, the pieces or fragments then being driedand finally subjected to heat to cause the individual grain units ineach of the pieces or fragments, as well as the fragments as a whole, topuff up or expand to greatly increased size.

.The resultant product, specifically considered, consists of crisp andfriable pieces or fragments,

each composed of a plurality of adhering puiled or expanded cereal grainunits.

The food may be prepared without salting, for use as a breakfast cereal,if desired, when it may be eaten with cream or sugar, as in the case ofthe usual breakfast foods, or it may be eaten out of hand, much aspotato chips, for example, are eaten. In the latter case the food may besalted or otherwise flavored to suit the individual taste. 05

The product resulting from the process provides a unique and verypalatable form of cereal food.

The general method of preparing the product is as follows: 7

The grain, as, for example, rice, which may be whole or broken orconsist of both whole and broken kernels, is placed in a cooker togetherwith a suitable quantity of water and flavoring materials, such as sugarand salt. Cooking may be conducted in any suitable utensil, such as apan, kettle, rotary cooker or other device, although in operating on a.large scale the rotary typeof cooker is preferred. The cooking iscontinued until the grain is uniformly cooked.

The grain is then removed from the cooker, partially cooled andpartiallydried. The partial drying may be-accomplished while the grainis being transferred from the cooker to the forming device or suchpartial drying may be accomplished in part during the transfer andcompleted before the grain is passed to the forming device. After thispartial drying the rice units, which are then rather tough and pliable,are fed through a forming device to form the cooked, partially driedgrain into strips, such as ribbons or shreds. Preferably such formingdevice consists of grooved rolls between which the grain is passed.These grooves, which shape the mass into strips, may be of any desiredwidth, depending upon the finalform that it is desired to have theproduct take. In one case in which the process has been practiced, thegrooves were inchwide, although,'of course, the width of the groove mayvary as desired. Where very narrow grooves are used the 100 product atthis stage emerges from the rollsina. the form of shreds, while wherewider grooves. are employed the material; emerges from, thQ,: rolls morein the form of wide strips or ribbons,

and the final product is wafer-like in character 10.5

After the grain emerges from between therolls, in the form of acontinuous strip or shred, it is preferably cut or broken into pieces orfragments of suitable lengths, say, an inch or so long. These pieces orfragments may be, of course, of considerthe forming device and beingbroken up or cut into suitable lengths, are then preferably dried.

The degree of moisture in the pieces or fragments after such drying mayvary over a considerable range. In any case, it should be below 30 percent by weight. The dried particles or fragments are then subjected toheat of about 350 to 600 Fahrenheit to puif orexpand the individualadhering grain units. This may be accomplished by placing the pieces orfragments in a hot bath' of a frying medium, which may be of animal,vegetable or mineral origin, such as oil or fat. The pieces or fragmentsare permitted to remain in the oil or fat, which is held at atemperature of about 300 to 500 Fahrenheit, until puffed or expanded andcooked to the desired degree of crispness and preferably until abrownish color is obtained. The particles are then removed from the oilor fat and permitted to drain free from excess grease. Salt or otherflavoring material may then be added, if desired.

Instead of pulling the fragments or particles by a frying operation,they may be passed through a toasting oven, such as the rotary toastingoven employed in the manufacture of corn flakes and the like, heated toa temperature of, say, 350 to 600 Fahrenheit, wherein the individualkernels as well as the particles as a whole are. greatly puffed orexpanded and toasted.

A higher moisture content may obtain when the pulling operation isaccomplished by frying the fragments or pieces in hot fat or oil. Whenthe puffing operation is performed by dry heat, as in an oven, themoisture content of the grain being treated is desirably reduced to from5 to 14 per cent and preferably to about 10 or 11 per cent.

Instead of severing the strips into pieces or fragments, then drying thepieces or fragments and then pulling the same, the strip as it emergesfrom the rolls may be subjected to the drying operation and then stillin the form of a strip be subjected to heat to pufi the same, andthereafter broken or severed into fragments or pieces of the desiredlengths.

In order to more clearly set forth one specific example of the method ofmanufacture, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 illustrates schematically and in a general way apparatus whichmay be employed in carrying out the process;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing roughly and in a general way one form ofthe product before the pufiing operation;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same form of product after the puttingoperation;

Fig. 4 illustrates roughly and in a general way a side or edge view ofone of the fragments or pieces before the puffing operation; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-section illustrating in ageneral way and on anenlarged scale the final product and showing the puffed up or expandedcharacter thereof.

The following example will serve to set forth one method of preparingone form of the new product, reference being had to the accompanyingschematic drawing for purposes of explanation.

Grain, such as rice, which may consist of whole kernels and/or parts orparticles thereof, is fed from a hopper 10 to a cooker 1 1, suitableflavoring, such as salt and sugar in water, being also sup.-

by hot oil or. fat 9.

plied to the cooker from a container 12. For

purposes of illustration, 5 pounds of sugar and steam pressure of, forexample, 15 pounds per square inch for a period of one hour or until therice is properly cooked. As a result of this cooking operation theindividual kernels are soft and mushy and considerably swollen.

The rice is then transferred to a drier 13 of any suitable character,where it may be subjected to a blast of air to reduce the moisturecontent of the cooked grain. Any suitable drier may be employed. At thispoint the moisture content is reduced until the cooked grain is of afairly firm, though plastic consistency. The partially dried grain isthen transferred to a forming device, which in the present instance isindicated as a pair of co-operating rolls 14 having mutually coactinggrooves and tongues or ribs. The annular ribs of one roll fit into theannular grooves of the other roll, the distance between the outersurface of a rib and the bottom of the corresponding groove determiningthe thickness of the strip, and the width of the co-operating groove andrib determining the width of the strip formed by the rolls.' As anexample, the strip may be in the form of a ribon inch wide and inchthick. As 'the mass of kernels and/or parts thereof pass through therolls the individual units are flattened somewhat and also caused toadhere to the adjacent units due to some maceration of the edges of theunits. The units, however, retain their individuality at least in part.In other words, the ribbon consists, in the specific example, ofsubstantially a single layer of adhering individual units. Theindividual units of rice, such as whole kernels and/or parts orparticles thereof, while flattened and extended in width and length inpassing through the rolls, maintain their individuality and due to thepressure are caused to adhere to each other so that the mass issues fromthe rolls in striplike form as a single layer of rice units. After thestrips emerge from between the rolls they are preferably severed orbroken into fragments or pieces 15 of the desired lengths in anysuitable manner, as by means of rotary cutters l6, suitable scrapers 17being employed to strip the severed pieces or fragments from the rolls.

The fragments or pieces, which may be inch wide and an inch or so inlength, consist, as roughly shown in Fig. 2, of a series of flattenedindividual rice units consisting of kernels and/or broken kernels orparticles, as indicated at 18, although it will be understood that theorder of the units will vary in each fragment or piece. The fragments orpieces then pass to a drier, indicated in the present instance as anendless belt 19. Hot air or other suitable medium may be employed forthis drying operation. If the fragments or particles are to be puifed inan oven by dry heat the moisture content is reduced to between 5-and 14per cent, or until the fragments or particles are hard and brittle.Preferably the moisture content is reduced to about 10 or 11 per cent.If the pulling is to be done much higher moisture content may obtain.

The particles or fragments are then subjected to a high heat in order topuff up the individual grain units as well as the fragments or particlesas a whole. This puffing may be accomplished by means of a toasting ovenor by frying the particles or fragments in hot fat or oil.

If the frying operation is employed, the dried fragments are transferredto a fryingdevice 20, which may be of any suitable character, where thepieces are placed in hot fat, preferably vegetable oil, and allowed tocook at a temperature, say, of 300 to 5001 Fahrenheit until crisp, brownand expanded or puffed. A suitable conveyor is preferably employed forconveying the product through the frying device, the movement of suchconveyor being so timed as to. retain the fragments or pieces in thefryer until the desired results as to pufiiness, crispness and color aresecured. This frying results in a bodily expansion of the individualrice units and of the fragment or piece as a whole to a greatlyincreased size. The food is then removed from the fat, allowed to drain,and cooled, when it is ready for packaging or consumption. When thefrying operation is employed, the resultant product has a coating of anoleaginous substance. It may be eaten out of hand, a good deal as potatochips are eaten.

The final product, whether fried or subjected to the dry heat of an ovento puff the same, may be generally of rectangular outline, as indicatedroughly in Fig. 3. As there indicated, the individuality of the grainunits 21 may be retained with the units adhering to adjacent unitseither directly or through the medium of macerated particles of grain,and the product consists of a layer of grain units, the pieces orfragments being considerably expanded as compared with the same beforethe puffing operation. Each grain unit of the product is greatlyexpanded and is cellular, crisp and friable and the structure of theproduct as a whole is of a like character and has an irregular, bubblysurface. As shown in Fig. 5, the cells of the product vary in size andthey lack uniformity in size and distribution. The product as a whole iscrisp and friable and readily crumbles into small particles whensubjected to pressure between the fingers. It also retains its crispnesswhen mixed with milk or cream and is substantially unaffected byatmospheric conditions. I

It is to be understood that there is no particular uniformity in theshape of the fragments or pieces either before or after being subjectedto heat to puff the same. This lack of uniformity is due to the factthat the kernels, and/or parts or particles thereof, are arranged indifferent orders in the different pieces or fragments; and the rolling,drying and pufling operations result in producing pieces or fragmentswhich vary considerably in configuration. Some of the pieces, forexample, will be fairly flat while others, or portions thereof, willcurl more or less, as

' indicated in Fig. 4.

It is further to be understood that I do not limit myself to the detailsspecifically set forth herein in describing the invention, theparticular procedure described being merely an illustrative example ofone embodiment of the invenfion.

While in the specific example described the strips of adhering cerealgrain units are cut or broken into pieces or fragments after issuingfrom the forming rolls, then dried and then subjected to heat to puffthe same, the strip itself may be dried to the desired moisture content,and then puffed, the strip after puffing being subsequently broken orcut into pieces or fragments of the desired size.

I claim:

, 1. A process of making a ready-t'o-eat cereal food, comprising cookingin moisture cereal grains, forming the same into a strip, shred, ribbonand the like, in which the individual grains adhere, drying the stripetc., and subjecting pieces or fragments of such strip, etc., to heat tocause the adhering individual grains therein to puff up and become crispand porous.

2. A process of making a ready-to-eat cereal food, comprising forming amass of cooked, pliable cereal grain units into strip-like form in whichthe individual units adhere, drying the strip, and subjecting pieces orfragmentsof the dried strip to heat to cause theindividual adheringunits therein to expand bodily and become crisp and porous.

3. A process of making a ready-to-eat cereal food product, comprisingcooking in moisture cereal grain units, as, kernels and/or brokenkernels, partially drying the cooked units, forming the units into astrip in which the units adhere and in which the substantialindividuality of the units is retained, and subjecting pieces orfragments of the strip to heat cause the individual units of the stripto pufi up to increased size.

4. A process of making a ready-to-eat cereal food product, comprisingcooking rice units, as, kernels and/or broken kernels, in moisture,partially drying the rice units, forming the units into a strip, ribbonand the like in which the cooked units adhere and preserve generallytheir individuality, drying the strip, etc., until hard and brittle, andsubjecting pieces or fragments of such strip to heat to cause theindividual adhering rice units therein to puff up.

5. A process of making a ready-to-eat rice food, comprising forming amass of cooked pliable rice units, as, whose kernels and/or brokenkernels, into strip-like form in which the individual units adhere,severing the strips into fragments, drying the fragments until hard andbrittle, and subjecting the dried fragments to heat to cause theindividual adhering units to expand bodily and become crisp and porous.

6. A process of making a ready-to-eat cereal food comprising cooking inmoisture cereal grain units, as, kernels and/ or broken kernels,partially drying the cooked units, forming the units into a strip inwhich the substantial individuality of the units is retained, and fryingthe same.

'7. A process of making a ready-to-eat cereal food comprising cooking inmoisture rice units, such as whole kernels and/or parts thereof,partially drying the units, forming the same into .obons in which thecooked units adhere and subtantially preserve their individuality,severing the ribbons into pieces, further drying the pieces until hardand brittle, and causing the adhering units to puff up and become crisp,friable and porous by frying the pieces.

8. A process of making a ready-to-eat cereal food comprising cooking inmoisture rice, such as whole kernels and/ or parts thereof, partiallydrying the rice, forming the same into ribbons in which the cooked riceunits adhere and preserve i 9. A process of making a ready-to-eat ricefood comprising cooking rice units,- such as whole kernels and/0r partsthereof, with seasoning in moisture until thoroughly cooked, drying themass until the rice units are of a firm consistency, forming the massinto a ribbon consisting of substantially a single layer of units and inwhich the individual rice units adhere, severing the ribbon into pieces,drying the pieces until hard and brittie, and frying the pieces untiltheadhering individual units as well as the pieces as a whole become bodilyexpanded, cellular and crisp.

10. A rice food consisting of a mass of adhering cooked rice unitsconsisting of whole kernels and/or parts thereof, which units have acrisp, puffy, cellular structure and an irregular, bubbly surface, andin which the individuality of the units is substantially preserved.

11. A ready-to-eat cereal food consisting of numerous cooked crisp.cellular individual, pulled kernels of grain adhering together andhaving a coating of an oleaginous substance.

12. A ready-to-eat cereal food consisting of a multiplicity of cookedrice kernels and parts thereof adhering togethensubstantially in asingle layer of irregular formation in which the individuality of eachkernel is substantially retained, and each such kernel or part beingcrisp and greatly expanded.

13. A ready-to-eat cereal food consisting of a yer of adhering cookedrice units consisting principally of whole kernels, each kernel of saidlayer being individually cellular and the whole layer being highlyfriable. V

EUGENE H. McKAY.

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